JCPSLP Vol 14 No 1 2012

References Aldred, R., Forsingdal, S., & Baker, R. (2002). Working together to improve the health status and health outcomes for Indigenous children and their families living in urban settings: The speech pathologist’s role. ACQuiring Knowledge in Speech, Language and Hearing , 4 (3), 166–169. Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. (2009). Footprints in time: The longitudinal study of Indigenous children – Key summary report from wave 1 . Canberra: FaHCSIA. Butcher, A. (2008). Linguistic aspects of Australian Aboriginal English. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics , 22 (8), 625–642. Eckermann, A., Dowd, T., Chong, E., Nixon, L., Gray, R., & Johnson, S. (2010). Binan Goonj; Bridging cultures in Aboriginal health (3rd ed.). Sydney: Churchill Livingstone. Gould, J. (2008). Non-standard assessment practices in the evaluation of communication in Australian Aboriginal children. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics , 22 (9), 1–15. Hoy, D., Rickart, K., Durham, J., Puntmetkul, R., Mansoor, G., Muijlwijk, A., & Bounnaphol, S. (2010). Working together to address disability in a culturally- appropriate and sustainable manner. Disability and Rehabilitation , 32 (16), 1373–1375. McSwan, D., Ruddell, D., & Searston, I. (2001). A whole community approach to otitis media: Reducing its incidence and effects . Townsville: James Cook University Rural Education Research and Development Centre. Nelson, A., & Allison, H. (2004). Visiting occupational therapy service to Indigenous children in schools: Results of a pilot project. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , 33 , 55–60. Philpott, M. (2003). The Revised Kimberley Early Language Scales . Melbourne: Speech Pathology Australia. Speech Pathology Australia. (2000a). How do speech pathologists work in a multilingual and culturally diverse pathologists working in early intervention programs with Aboriginal Australians . Fact sheet 2.4. Melbourne: Author. Speech Pathology Australia. (2009). Working in a culturally and linguistically diverse society: Position paper . Melbourne: Author. Williams, C., & Masterson, J. (2011). Phonemic awareness and early spelling skills in urban Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. International Journal of Speech- Language Pathology , 12 (6): 497–507. 1 Tenet: any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., especially one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement (http://dictionary.reference.com) society? Fact sheet 4.1. Melbourne: Author. Speech Pathology Australia (2000b). Speech

Intervention provided within the existing community services These strong relationships allow families to receive services in an environment that may be perceived as less threatening than attending a mainstream health or education service. The Awabakal Cooperative is a well- established service which caters to the needs of the Aboriginal people of the Greater Newcastle area, which is the urban centre of the Hunter Region; one of the services provided by the Awabakal Cooperative is the Awabakal Children’s Service. The children attending the Awabakal Children’s Services come from a variety of linguistic backgrounds with their main language being Aboriginal English, ranging along the spectrum of “heavy” to “light” (Butcher, 2008). Group intervention to avoid “Shame” response The Little Yarns project is funded as a prevention/early intervention program; as such it services all children attending the centre, because they are acknowledged to be at-risk of developing language/literacy impairment, due to their Aboriginality (Williams & Masterton, 2011). Children are seen within the regular classroom or playground and small group intervention activities aim to avoid a Shame response and benefit target children within the group (Nelson & Allison, 2004); prevention activities, such as training in phonemic awareness skills, aim to benefit all the children attending the service. Flexible approach in terms of service delivery The timeframe for service provision is flexible to suit the Aboriginal people and, within the scope of the project, the manner of service delivery is decided in consultation with the community. Preliminary findings The project is currently undergoing an external evaluation process. Preliminary findings from annual questionnaires distributed to staff have indicated that families are being supported to access mainstream services. Aboriginal staff members also reported increased knowledge about language impairment and confidence in dealing with children with language impairment. Little Yarns staff reported increased awareness of Aboriginal culture and ways of learning and interacting. Families of children attending the service are also being interviewed. It is hoped that the results of this evaluation will indicate the extent to which the aims of the project are being met. Summary The innovative service described here has explored alternative ways of service delivery to the Aboriginal population based on literature finding and consultation. Specifically, some of the aspects which differ from a more traditional clinical model are the consultation process involved prior to and throughout the intervention; the nurturing of relationships on several levels to allow mutual trust and respect to develop; the provision of services within an already existing Aboriginal community service; and the flexible timeframe and manner of service delivery. Speech pathologists working with Aboriginal clients need to consider these basic tenets, as well as any local differences, if they are to intervene successfully with this population.

Gwendalyn Webb is a speech pathologist working in the Little Yarns Program with Firstchance Inc. She is also a conjoint lecturer and clinical educator for the University of Newcastle.

Correspondence to: Gwendalyn Webb Speech Pathologist, MA (Ling) Firstchance Inc. 48 Corona Street, Hamilton, NSW, 2303 phone: +61 (0)2 4961 5886 mob: 0400 270 174 email: gwendalynwebb@gmail.com

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 1 2012

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology